AAP FACTCHECK – The early release from prison of former Fijian prime minister Frank Bainimarama has sparked false claims that Donald Trump secured his freedom with a pardon.
The US president-elect has no jurisdiction over Fijian judicial processes and Mr Bainimarama was released under an established early release program under Fijian law.
Mr Bainimarama has not been pardoned of his crime – it remains on his record.
The claim appears in a Facebook post shared in a group largely consisting of Fijian users and has the caption: “Once again we have been proven right PRIME MINISTER RELEASED FROM PRISON!”
The post also features a collage of images relating to Mr Bainimarama’s release and includes an arrow pointing to the statement: “Trump to pardon Bainimarama and deport all Rabuka’s Papi’s back to Fiji.”
The statement refers to current Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, whose coalition narrowly defeated Mr Bainimarama in the 2022 Fijian election, and his ruling People’s Alliance Party.
A statement from the Fiji Corrections Service posted on Facebook said Mr Bainimarama’s early release was a decision made in accordance with Fijian law.
“The Fiji Corrections Service (FCS) confirms that former Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has been granted early release as of today, in accordance with Section 46 (3) of the Corrections Act.”
This section of the act stipulates that a prisoner can be considered for early release if they are deemed a low security rating.
Lorenz Gonschor, a senior lecturer in politics at Fiji’s University of the South Pacific, told AAP FactCheck that a US president could not pardon anyone convicted of a crime under Fijian law and, on top of that, Trump has not yet assumed office in the US.
“Even if Mr Trump was already US president – which he’ll only be after his inauguration in January 2025 – he could not pardon anyone convicted and imprisoned in another country for offences unrelated to the United States,” Dr Gonschor said.
Mr Bainimarama was imprisoned for obstructing a police investigation into alleged corruption at the University of South Pacific and sentenced to 12 months in prison.
“None of this is even remotely connected to the United States or to the person of Mr Trump,” Dr Gonschor said.
There is no record of Trump speaking about Mr Bainimarama since leaving office in 2021, and searches for “Bainimarama” and “Trump” return no results of either talking about the other in the last three years.
The Verdict
False – The claim is inaccurate.
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